Team Possible II: The Patchwork Man
by King in Yellow
Summary: When the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense fails to get their man who ya' gonna call? Team Possible II has been asked to find the creature, but isn't entirely sure why. Best Enemies series.
1. Query

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are all owned by Disney. All registered trade names property of their respective owners. The BPRD and those associated with it property of Mike Mignola and Dark Horse. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage. 

CastaS helped with German, and provided information on Switzerland and Germany. I also put in some things without consultation which are less likely to be accurate.

**Query**

"Lipsky and Load," Zita answered the phone.

"Yes, my name is Donner and I'm needing to speak with the Doc."

"Do you mean Doctor Load or --"

"I mean Drakken."

"Mister Lipsky is very busy, if you could give me an idea of your business?"

David Donner swore a small oath in his mind, "I'm with the government. I need some help and I'm asking if Doc and the kiddies are available."

Zita had found his name in the Rolodex while he was speaking, "David Donner?"

"Yes."

"Let me connect you."

In the lab Drakken watched the temperature gauge closely. Variations as small as a single degree from his goal could damage the experiment. If all went as planned he would have achieved the perfect cup of hot cocoa. As his hand reached out to cut the flame to the Bunsen burner the phone rang, ruining his concentration. "What is it?" he snapped in an annoyed tone.

"David Donner on line one. You and Wade both have him on your 'put him through' list."

"Fine, fine, I'll talk with him. You just ruined my experiment."

"Before you talk with him, do you remember the rules?"

"Of course I remember the rules," Drakken snapped, resentful that she felt it incumbent to remind him.

"And which rule applies here?"

"Don't sign any contracts or make any verbal commitments without your approval," he mumbled. _"The woman keeps forgetting her place. She was hired as a custodian, not to run my life."_

"What's up?" Drakken asked as he connected with line one.

"The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense had a little spot of trouble. Dr. Manning, the director wanted me to bring your people in on a job."

"The BPRD couldn't handle it?"

"Not too big for them. Apparently they've got some sort of security leak. They need to question someone about something… He didn't confide all the details." Donner resented that slight, but had to live with it. "He just asked me if I could contact you and set things up. Seems to think your people can handle it without leaks. You made some friends over there."

_"With friends like that…"_ Drakken thought. "I can't commit until I've seen more details."

Zita's voice came in on the line, "You'd better not even think of committing to anything until you've talked with Wade."

"ZITA!" Drakken complained.

"Who is that? Why is she on the line?" Donner demanded. "Do you trust her?"

"He'd better trust me," Zita informed the Fed, "Neither the blue man nor the boy genius have a lick of common sense."

"That's not true," Drakken told her. "She's sort of Jill of all trades around here," he explained to Donner. "Shego asked us to take her on and she gets into everything."

"And it's a good thing too," the Hispanic woman retorted. "This place was a mess, in every possible meaning of the term, until I got here."

"Delusions of grandeur," Drakken muttered to the Fed, who was now wondering if calling Drakken and company was really a good idea.

"I'll have a courier deliver the packet of information I was told to pass on if you might be interested. Address it to you or Wade?"

"I want to see it first-- " Drakken began.

"Send it to Zita Flores, F-L-O-R-E-S," Zita interrupted, "I'll make sure Doc D sees it first."

"Zita!" Drakken protested feebly.

She assumed a soothing tone of voice, "You're always busy in one lab or another. By the time we find you Wade may see the courier and ask what's in the package. I'll just claim it's for me if he gets nosy, okay?"

"You won't open it?"

"I promise?"

In Washington Donner shook his head in amazement. He couldn't figure out why the BPRD wanted to use this outfit, but he suspected any successes enjoyed by Drakken and company resulted far more from 'and company' than they did from Drakken. At least he had made the contact. If the blue man failed it would not be David Donner's ass in a sling.

In his lab Drakken thought, _"You think you're all that Zita Flores, but you're not."_ He took care not to say it out loud for fear someone might hear him and tattle to her. Someday he'd tell her off, remind her that she was just a very small cog in the machinery. Perhaps after she finished her work on the prospectus for the IPO of Lipsky and Load. He didn't want to upset her while she worked on that.

The next morning an FBI agent felt a vague resentment at being used for courier service when he arrived at Lipsky and Load. Still, the order came from the office coordinating the US intelligence services so the material must be of high importance. A pretty woman sat at the receptionist's desk when he got in the building. He made a mental note to ask for her phone number on the way out after he made his delivery.

"Got something I need to deliver to a Rosita Flores, personally. I'll need her signature. Can you direct me to her office?"

"I'm Zita."

"You're Zita?" _ "I'm delivering packages to receptionists?"_

They stared at each other for a few seconds. "Well, are you going to make your delivery or not?"

He almost blushed, "Sorry, I, ah, thought I had something important to deliver."

She glared at him, "What makes you think you don't?"

He managed a real blush and a stammer, "Sorry, it's just, I don't know, I thought this was something really classified."

"How do you know it's not? You think I'm nothing because I handle phone calls and deliveries? Leave your stuff and get out. You can forget this drop ever happened if it makes you feel better."

He took a deep breath. She wasn't wearing a ring on her left hand. "For the third time. Sorry. You're right, I shouldn't make assumptions without information. But I'd rather not forget being here. Can I take you out for a drink to make it up to you?"

She looked him over, "You work out here in or DC?"

"I'm stationed out here."

"I've got a couple months until my divorce is final. I don't go out with jerks. Those are the facts. Your invitation still stand?"

He shook his head yes. She took a business card off the desk, "I'm writing my home number on the back," she explained. "Call me in a week if you're really interested, here or at home. Any of my housemates will take a message."

She handed him the card and he tucked it in his wallet. "I'll call, be seeing you," he promised as he left. Zita doubted he'd call; 'the divorce isn't final' line was the killer. She sighed; he was cute.

He had not delivered a single package, instead a large, thick manila envelope with a BPRD seal; a second, much thinner manila envelope with a seal reading 'travel documents'; and a business-sized envelope addressed to her personally and requesting 'read me first', sat on her desk. She started with the letter.

Ms. Flores,  
Since you seem to be running things I'll offer this explanation to you. The larger package contains information on the requested mission. I have not seen the details myself, but know that if the group takes on the assignment they need to head to Germany as quickly as possible. I put together the second package with travel documents and materials, should they be interested. Please inform me about their decision as soon as one is reached.  
David Donner

Zita passed the information on to Drakken, who spent the afternoon in his office. As she was getting ready to leave that evening he paged her on the intercom, "Could you call Jim and Tim and ask them to be out here at six tonight? I've asked Wade to call Joss and Bego."

She sighed,_ "Why can't you call them yourself?"_ "I'm on my way home. I'll tell them if I see them, or call one of them if they're not at their place."

As she drove home she wished Drakken could understand the concept of a forty-hour week or being off the clock. Still, even if she wasn't paid for all the work she really did there she knew she had no reason to complain. He had taken her on without question, and she enjoyed the responsibilities she had taken on herself. She sighed as she turned in the driveway at Possible Manor. She had stayed here longer than she should, she had more than enough saved to rent her own place, and accumulated enough stuff the last few months that she needed a larger space. But it was nice to be with friends, and she knew it drove Bonnie into a rage when she flirted with Ron. Zita and Ron knew they were only teasing each other, but Zita could tell it bothered Bonnie even though the once most-popular-girl in high school worked hard to keep it from showing to Ron.

Before going into the house she went up the stairs to the apartment over the garage. Jim answered the door when she knocked, "Hey, Zita."

She wrinkled her nose in disgust, "You two need to learn to clean… Sorry, Doctor D asked me to tell you he'd like to see you tonight at six."

"Cool. Hey, we like our place to have a lived-in smell."

"It has a died-in smell," she laughed over her shoulder as she headed down the stairs.

Joss didn't finish dinner until after six, but by six-thirty everyone had gathered in the old Lair's kitchen. Wade and Joss sat side-by-side on one side of the table. Jim and Tim, tall and thin from a growth spurt in their junior year of high school sat on the other, and the Bebe who had some of Shego's appearance and a copy of Joss's brain sat at the far end, by Joss. Drakken stood, feeling height gave him a psychological advantage, as he addressed the young people.

"I suppose you're wondering why I asked you here," Drakken began.

"Well, yeah," Jim snorted.

Drakken glared and Tim shushed his brother.

"It seems that the BPRD needs our help, and--"

"Not them," Wade moaned. "If they can't do a job do you really think we can do it?"

"Got to second the real Doctor," Jim chimed in. "What those guys work with is real trouble."

"No it's not!" Drakken interjected.

"You wait until you've been stripped naked and tied to a stone altar for a squid god to eat," the young black man commented.

"That wasn't even a BPRD job! We found that one all by ourselves."

"Well they were the ones who did the clean-up afterwards -- and who told us to stay off of their turf," Wade reminded him.

"We should at least give Doc D a chance to explain what this is all about," Tim protested.

"I'll second Tim," Joss said. Without a word being said everyone knew Wade had just changed his vote.

"It. seems. only. fair."

"Thank you, Bego," Drakken said, nodding at the blue girl. "There appears to be a security leak at the BPRD. They wanted to question someone, but their quarry was tipped off. They want us to locate the missing person, and hold him for questioning."

Bego frowned slightly, "Does. that. really. require. us? It. would. seem. to. me. that. regular. police. or. security. services. would. be. more. appropriate. if. the. individual. is. a. criminal. And. if. not. it. sounds. very. much. like. kidnapping."

All eyes turned to Drakken and the blue man prepared to dazzle them with his knowledge. "Not in this case," he assured them. "You've all read 'The Modern Prometheus', I assume."

"When I was four," Wade told him.

"When. we. were. in. the. eighth. grade."

"We skipped eighth grade," Jim reminded them.

"But we saw all the Sickle Films from the fifties and sixties on TV," Tim added.

"I hope you realize that Prometheus is how the author referred to the creator. The monster had no name, so everyone ends up calling him Prometheus."

"Um, Doc," Joss asked politely, "where are you going with this?"

"Mary Godwin wrote the story in eighteen-sixteen while in Switzerland. She claimed to have based in on a true story she heard while staying there."

Jim snorted in derision.

"Look up Konrad Dippel in your Wikipedia," Drakken snapped. He pulled a photocopied sheet from the folder he held and put it down on the table, "Frontpiece of the first German edition, eighteen-twenty-five. Artist claimed to have known the doctor and seen the creature."

"Publicity stunt," Wade suggested.

Drakken pulled another photocopy from the folder. "Sketch by a Robert Walton, who encountered both creature and creator in the Arctic."

"Copied from the German edition probably," Jim suggested.

"Found among his sister's possessions at her death, but dated some twenty years before the German edition."

Drakken pulled out two photocopies, and put one down on the table, "Prussian army unit, photographed after the victory at Sedan--"

"Pardon?" Tim asked.

"Big battle in the Franco-Prussian War, fought in eighteen-seventy." None of those sitting at the table believed Drakken knew any of this on his own. But he delighted in appearing on top of things and they humored him by pretending he had gathered the research by himself. He pointed to one portion of the picture, "Here is a blow-up of that individual," and put down a second picture.

"Now. that. is. weird," Bego admitted.

More than a dozen other photos spanned the decades between the Franco-Prussian war and the present. All showed a tall, strongly built man with oddly asymmetrical features and a vaguely jaundiced appearance - more pronounced in the modern, color photos. The most chilling of the photos, in Drakken's opinion, showed the tall man sitting with other roughly dressed men at the feet of prison guards who wore armbands with swastikas.

"What's this all about," Joss asked, pointing to the photo.

"Capos. Prisoners the Nazis used to help keep the other prisoners in line. Some were more brutal than the Nazis to show their loyalty. Some killed themselves in shame for having been used."

"He. appears. to. have. survived." Bego noted, looking at the more recent photos.

"Unless Captain Skeptical thinks we're dealing with many generations of different individuals with an amazing family resemblance," Drakken said, staring at Jim.

"Okay, assuming the request was legit," Jim answered, "this thing is a murderer many times over according to the book, and might be guilty of war crimes. It's supposed to be tremendously strong and doesn't appear to have aged much in the last two hundred years. The BPRD, which is supposed to be able to handle stuff like this, can't even find him or bring him in. So they call us? I don't know why they think we can do it, or why we would want to."

"Be kind of a kick though if we can pull it off when they can't," Wade remarked.

"This was the first artificial life. I'd love to be able to examine him -- see if I could learn anything," Drakken murmured.

Joss and Bego looked at each other. Bego shrugged. Joss looked at Drakken. "Bego and I are good to go."

Tim raised a practical matter, "It sounds like fun, but a whole ton of work for somebody. And by someone you all know I mean Wade. Is he just starting from scratch or did the nice monsters at the BPRD send along any helpful information to help?"

"As a matter of fact," Drakken said, holding up the rest of the fairly fat folder. "The Bureau has kept a loose eye on him for a few years. He appears to have been living peacefully in Germany, but when they wanted to ask him some questions he suddenly bolted." He plopped the folder down on the table in front of Wade. "Here is a copy of the Bureau file on him."

"If Wade has that much to start with he can find anyone," Joss said.

Wade knew that wasn't true, but wouldn't admit it in front of Joss. If she had faith he could do it he'd do anything to avoid failure in her eyes.

"Assuming Wade gets a lead--" Tim began.

"An' he can!" Joss spoke up.

"It looks like we're willing to go."

"I still have questions," Jim protested.

"It. was. a. day. like. any. other, and. you. are. a. pain. in. the. rear. The. vote. is. to. go."

Drakken looked annoyed, and Tim stepped in to mediate. "Jim has a right to ask questions. I have a few myself," he addressed the larger group. He turned to Drakken, "You wouldn't mind if we stayed and got a few more particulars, would you?"

"Not at all," Drakken murmured. "Oh, this came through David Donner, and he--"

"Donner? I thought you said this was BPRD?"

"Look, if the Bureau has a security leak of some sort they don't want everyone there to know we've been asked. The director at the Bureau thought we were a good idea and sent the idea through Donner so there's less chance of our mission being known."

"Shego doesn't like him," Jim pointed out.

"Well, that's her problem," Drakken retorted. "Look, profits at Lipsky and Load look like they'll be up three hundred percent this year -- most of which is from government contracts -- and Donner has contacts everywhere. I want to impress him with how well we get things done."

"Could you let Doc finish his next sentence before you interrupt?" Wade requested.

"Even though we aren't officially connected with the Bureau, and no one but Donner and maybe a couple people under him know we're involved--"

"That will make it easy to limit potential sources if there's another leak… Sorry, force of habit," Jim apologized.

"Anyway," Drakken resumed, "Donner has some airline reservations made for us this next weekend, if Wade says we're ready to go. He sent along cover stories, identities, and a couple passports."

"Can I be blond and Swedish?" Wade asked solemnly. Joss giggled and gave him a push. He responded by tickling her.

The twins realized a problem with their plans at the same moment. "Ah, man, this stinks," Jim complained. "I have a date with Erin on Friday night."

"And I have a date with her on Saturday night,"

"And I had a date with her for Sunday," Wade added, then exclaimed a loud, "Oww!" when Joss poked him in the ribs.

"Not funny," she told her boyfriend. She looked across the table at her cousins, "If she's datin' you two she's used to disappointment."

Bego tried to laugh as best she could. Laughter was on the list of things she hoped Doctor Porter could help her do more naturally.

Drakken cleared his throat and called the meeting back to order, "I think you might like this." He tossed Joss and Wade two new passports. "You keep your names, but you each just got two years older, and you're on your way to Germany for your honeymoon."

The twins chuckled and made kissing sounds

Wade grinned broadly. Joss blushed and looked a little nervous, "I'm not sure what Daddy's gonna say 'bout that."

"Don't worry, you have the room next to me and my daughter," Drakken assured her.

"Your daughter?"

Drakken tossed another passport down the table to Bego. "You lost a year. You are my daughter, Anna Lipsky."

"As. long. as. no. one. hears. me. talk. or. can. see. my. eyes."

"We can always claim you are mute," Wade suggested.

"The perfect woman!" Tim laughed.

Joss looked disgusted, "Did anyone not know he was gonna say that?"

"I've got some acrylic shells that fit over your eyes," Drakken offered. "They should give your eyes a human appearance."

Bego wondered if it might make her more attractive to Brendan.

"What about us?" Jim asked.

"You two are easy, you go as yourselves. Destruction Inc. has just received an invitation to attend an armament show in Munich. If we get things done quickly you two will probably stay on a couple days to attend."

"And that will be our cover to get our equipment shipped over?" Tim asked.

"Exactly. But remember, anesthetics. The point is to capture the monster, not harm it."

Jim pointed to the evidence on the table, "Strong, guilty of multiple murders, possibly mass murder… If we're looking for a monster I want to bring something that will drop a monster."

"Could. we. refer. to. him. as. something. other. than. monster?" Bego requested, "Prometheus. was. not. his. name, so. what. do. we. call. him? I. find. monster. an. offensive. term."

"I'll second sis's point," Joss added.

Wade had been quickly flipping through the file in front of him. "I suggest we refer to him was the Patchwork Man," he offered.

Jim and Tim rolled their eyes at each other. Joss would accept the term because Wade suggested it, and Bego still thought so much like Joss that the two almost always supported each other.

"Not my idea," Wade said, "seems to be the current name he's going under, Emile Flickmann. Flickmann - Patchwork Man."


	2. Quest

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are owned by Disney. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

**Quest**

Wade called a meeting for Thursday night to announce things were going very well. "The Bureau relies too much on psychics, telepaths, and aura readers," Wade told the assembled team. "They couldn't conventional research their way out of a brown paper bag--"

"Make a note," Drakken barked at Zita - who he had insisted sit in the meeting, "put in a bid to subcontract conventional research for the BPRD."

"Yes master," she remarked sarcastically, "make note to find more work for Wade to do."

Drakken was too accustomed to getting no respect from subordinates to take offense, and he turned his attention back to Wade.

"Emile Flickmann was 'born' in nineteen-seventy according to the tax records." He rifled through a stack of papers piled on the table in front of him. "Do any of you need to be reminded what an incredible genius I am, or can I just cut to the bottom line?"

Joss giggled, "I always love to hear what a genius you are."

"Spare. us. please. I. beg. of. you. What. did. you. find. out?"

"I vote with the smart cousin," Tim said.

Jim added, "I'll go with the pretty one."

Wade seemed lost in the exchange, "You two are splitting your vote."

"They. are. both. voting. with. me."

Joss laughed, "You two are so full of it," she told her cousins. She glanced over at Bego, "Or should I say all three?"

"Can we get back to Wade's report," Drakken snapped. "Some of us have important things to do this evening."

"Going to alphabetize your sock drawer, again?" Jim asked.

Drakken glared and Wade continued, "Bottom line, the Bureau only knew one identity for the Patchwork Man. I've found three. None are too sophisticated. He'll adopt one identity for a few years after willing property to a 'son' no one knows. After years in the other two identities he'll reappear as his own son. I'm pretty sure when he got word the Bureau wanted to talk with Emile he took over one of the other identities earlier than scheduled."

"Got addresses?" one of the twins asked.

"Right here," Wade replied, holding up a sheet of paper, "he pays taxes on a house in each name."

"If he's got three names that easy to find is there any chance he's got a fourth identity buried deep somewhere?" Jim wanted to know.

"I can't promise, but I'm betting I'm right."

"Look's like we're heading to Germany this weekend."

"And perhaps Switzerland," Wade informed them. "One house is there. I--"

"Hey," Joss protested, "I was jus' thinkin' -- Jim, you say what you're thinkin' and I'll pop you in the nose -- if no one in the BPRD except Dr. Manning knows we're goin' to Europe, how come we have to adopt all the covert identity stuff?"

"It's 'cause Donner is in US Intelligence," Tim explained.

"There's an oxymoron," Wade muttered.

"It means he's a freakin' paranoid loony," Jim finished.

"That's what I said," Tim reminded him, "he's with US Intelligence."

"If we could return to the matter at hand," Wade brought them back on topic, "I suggest we all check out the last address where he was seen, in Ingolstadt, the one he left when the Bureau came calling. Then we split up for the other two. I suggest Team Boom check Rieslingburg in Switzerland. Just over the German border in the Canton of Schaffhausen."

"Team Boom? Us, right?" Tim said, pointing to himself and Jim.

"Right. Team Blue --"

"Doc. and. me?"

"Correct. You'll stay in Zell im Wiesental. It's kind of halfway between the other two and will give you a fast response time for whether Team Blue calls in first or Team Gleason, who'll check out Furtwangen im Schwarzwald."

"Furtwangen. im. Schwarzwald? That. sounds. dirty."

"Wait, Team Gleason?" Jim asked.

"Team Gleason, from Jackie Gleason…" Everyone stared blankly at him.

Drakken spoke up, "Wasn't he in the show 'The Honeymooners'?"

"Ding! Ding! Ding!" Wade announced, "We have a winner."

"Oh great, now he's pitching jokes to the blue man."

"You. know. Joss, I. think. the. reason. for. all. the. covert. identity. stuff. comes. from. leaving. guys. in. charge. Guys. are. idiots."

"Even Brendan?" Tim shot back.

Bego made the odd noise that passed for a sigh. "Probably. even. Brendan. But. you. have. to. admit. his. rear. looks. good. in. those. tight. football. pants."

"I do not have to admit that!"

"Guys," Wade tried again. "It's a school night, Joss needs to get home--"

"And you need time to properly say goodnight to her," Jim smirked.

Joss kicked her cousin under the table.

---

The twins left first, with their last layover in Paris before catching a flight to München.

Drakken and his 'daughter' left early the next morning. The two would have arrived second in Germany, but Drakken insisted on heading the wrong direction in the London airport and they missed their connecting flight and had to find a second.

Bego hated the eye covers, "I. am. as. blind. as. you. people. when. I. wear. these, things." she complained. But she caught her breath when she looked in the mirror, or would have caught her breath if she breathed. Instead of the glowing red LEDs her eyes looked normal, with a violet hue startlingly beautiful. _"I will have to wear these to school."_

Bego went through airport security with an ease that would have astounded David Donner, who had offered a way to skirt the system. Lipsky and Load had built two of the little devices she used for blocking the security scanners. Bego wore one on a chain around her neck. The second rested in a high security lab as a half dozen scientists worked on a practical way to nullify its effect. Not more than a dozen people outside the team knew of the device. Zach Goldman had considered having Lipsky and Load manufacture them for intelligence agencies, but the potential misuse of the device by terrorists outweighed any possible benefit. The government granted Wade and Drakken a secret patent on the device and pressured them to sign a contract that licensed the technology exclusively to the US government. In a second contract the government agreed to pay them one thousand dollars a year for every device they didn't build, with the firm being asked to not manufacture a thousand a year.

The flight went more smoothly for Wade and Joss. He teased her that they needed to act more like honeymooners, and she reminded him that no one on the plane knew they were supposed to be married, that the whole covert identity thing was silly anyway, and too much kissing would draw attention to them.

Wade grinned, "What do you mean by too much?"

Team blue finally reached the München airport and Bego turned on her communicator, Drakken had lost his again and Wade hadn't had time to replace it. "Message. from. the. twins. They. said. they. checked. into. their. hotel. and. will try. to. sleep. They. say. don't. call. them. until. we. are. ready. to. move. or. you. won't. know. where. they. will. test. their. next explosive."

"Anything from Joss and Wade?"

"Joss. left. a. message. she. asks. where. we. are. She. and. Wade. will. check. into. our. hotel."

"Oh, snap," Drakken muttered under his breath, "in the hotel with no chaperone."

Bego navigated with the aid of a GPS Wade had given them. Drakken drove as she gave him directions and forty minutes after their arrival they opened their hotel door.

Drakken quickly moved to the connecting door and unlocked it on his side, Wade had left it unlocked on the other. Wade and Joss lay on the bed in the second room, fully clothed, and soundly asleep. The blue man nudged his partner, "Get up, you sleep in our room. I don't want her dad to shoot me."

"Wha… Nothing happened," Wade responded groggily.

"Yeah, sure," Drakken said pulling out a handkerchief and wiping bits of red off Wade's cheek and from around his mouth. "When did you start wearing lipstick?"

"Hey, nothing happened here. It was a romantic flight." Wade had worked too hard getting the Possibles to accept Drew Lipsky as an adult chaperone to risk jeopardizing the relationship.

"If I'm going to be _in loco parentis_ I'm going to take it seriously," Drakken continued.

"I. think. you. are. just. _in. loco._ Nothing. happened. I. trust. Joss."

"But not me?" Wade asked.

"You. are. a. guy. Now, go. finish. your. nap. in. your. own. room."

Drakken dozed slightly on a chair as Wade and Joss finished their naps in separate rooms.

After a bite to eat they all drove to Ingolstadt. Joss used her communicator to speak to the other two cars. "Wade says to remind you we are scheduled to meet officers there in half an hour."

"That wouldn't be German members of the BPRD?" Jim asked Tim.

"Better not be, if they're worried about a leak. I'm guessing maybe German police or something Donner set up on a _quid pro quo_ with German intelligence," his brother answered.

"With Wade's luck it will be a _squid pro quo_."

A police car and dark official looking vehicle were already parked in front of the home when they arrived in Ingolstadt. "Herr Drakken?"

"Si."

Wade closed his eyes and wished he were anywhere else.

"I will accompany you into the house. Is there any chance you might explain why your government is interested in Emile Flickmann or anything you know about his disappearance?"

Wade spoke up for fear Drakken might say something stupid. "We really don't know exactly why someone wanted to question him. But when he seemed to have vanished we were asked to conduct an investigation."

"This is irregular," the policeman interrupted, "we have no missing person report."

"And who would file it?" the intelligence officer snapped.

The team let the Germans argue for a minute. It appeared the man from the intelligence service was on their side. When the policeman left angrily to sulk in his car the agent pulled a key from his pocket. "We had a locksmith make a key for us. I will accompany you into the house."

Once inside Drakken found a large table and set his equipment bag down. Wade, Jim, and Tim looked around more or less at random. If there had been a computer Wade could have sucked any clues out of it. They found a modem, but no computer. "Just great," Jim laughed, "the Patchwork Man has a laptop."

Bego pulled a small case from Drakken's bag and when the agent wasn't looking pulled off the acrylic shells and began to put on glasses with a variety of filtered lenses.

"I. think. I. have. found. something," she whispered to Joss and put out her hand.

Joss took her sister's hand, and began seeing through the robot's eyes. Through Bego's filtered eyes Joss noticed something glowing faintly around light switches, door knobs, drawer handles, and other places where the human hand would routinely come in contact with surfaces.

"Get us some swabs," Joss yelled at Tim.

"Get. out. your. equipment, we. have. genetic. material. for. you," Bego told Drakken.

The team gathered in a tight group around the table as Drakken worked with the samples the girls gathered. "Well, I can confirm this isn't completely human genetic material," Drakken told them.

"What?" the agent asked. He'd been looking around the house a little himself, but was close enough to hear that bit of conversation, "Are you suggesting some sort of monster kidnapped Emile Flickmann?"

"No, we don't think that is true," Wade assured him. "But it matches something we were told to expect. We thank you very much for your time and cooperation. We need to leave and report our findings."

"Tell Herr Donner to inform us about what you find," he called to them as they left the house.

Bego hoped the German hadn't noticed her eyes behind the lens filters. She put the acrylic covers back on as they drove from Ingolstadt to Baden-Württemberg.

They kept communicators on in all three cars. "Did we really learn anything there?" Joss asked.

"I learned I wanted to see a little bigger sample than a few dead skin cells," Drakken responded. "A blood sample would be nice."

Wade explained, "We learned Bego can see if he's been around. That will be important to verify location."

Jim complained as the drive continued longer than he wanted. "I thought the Germans were supposed to have autobahns everywhere so we could drive, like a hundred and fifty miles per hour."

"Only autobahns between big cities. We're going out in the sticks."

They arrived at Zell im Wiesental together and found a place to get coffee before Wade and Joss headed north to Furtwangen im Schwarzwald and the twins headed south to Switzerland and Rieslingburg.

Wade suggested Drakken find rooms in the town, since their other destinations were so small the young black man wasn't sure what might be available and Zell's location between the other two made it ideal.

Tim pulled Wade aside before they left, "All this stuff is a kick, but be careful. We don't know what the monster is capable of."

Wade smiled, "I think this one is going to go smooth. I don't plan on being a hero. Shouldn't I warn you to be careful also?"

"Don't worry about us," Tim laughed, "we got enough firepower in the trunk to stop a herd of elephants."

Drakken figured it would be a couple hours before there was any chance of contact from the others. The blue man suffered from periodic insomnia and decided to do some walking around the town while they waited. Bego took the shells off her eyes again, while they were lovely she could barely see better than a human while wearing them.

Wade blessed the inventor of the GPS technology. The roads in the Black Forest would have been a nightmare without them.

Jim and Tim suffered from a bad case of nerves as they hit the border. It is one thing to be told it was routine and nothing, but given what they had in the trunk they knew they were in serious trouble if there was a search. They breathed a sigh of relief when they were waved through with nothing more than a fast glance at their passports.

It was dark when both teams arrived at their destinations.

Wade parked near the house he wanted to check. He and Joss saw no lights. They got out of the car and began to stroll around the village, looking for places where a monster might stop for supper or a beer. Joss called in their first report Team Blue, "We don't see anything promisin' yet, but we're not done."

Tim's call came in soon after. "Jim let me off while he tries to find a gas station. God, I'm not going to complain about the cost of gas in the US anymore." His next report came in just a couple minutes later, "I think we got it. There are lights on in the house--"

Wade's voice broke in, "Are you sure it's the right house?"

"In a word, no. But I think it's the place. I'm going to get closer and check house number and street name. This is great; I win. I not only beat you but I beat Jim too."

"Call back as soon as you're sure about the house," Drakken advised.

"Sure thing," Tim promised. "You'll hear from me in a couple minutes."

Five minutes later Drakken and Bego heard Joss speaking over the communicator, "Tim? Tim? You there?"

Silence.

"Maybe he's pulling a stupid joke on us," Wade suggested, trying to offer comfort.

"He wouldn't joke about something like that!" Joss snapped angrily, worried about her cousin.

There were a few more minutes of anxious silence, then Jim's cheery voice came over the communicator. "Hey, anyone heard from my idiot brother? I was getting gas and now I can't find him. I don't think he has his communicator on."

---

Author's Note: The _squid pro quo_ joke will make sense if I ever get Madness at Innsmouth written.


	3. Questions

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are all owned by Disney. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners.

**Questions**

Frantic with worry Jim turned off his brain as he strapped on enough armament to slow him down dramatically and began to circle the area. Had anything large moved in the shadows he might have shot first and asked questions later.

He wasn't sure what to do with his communicator. He wanted it on so he could hear a message from Tim. But he didn't want any of the others speaking for fear they would disturb his concentration or give his position away. He finally warned the others, who by this point were all headed to Switzerland, to use another band if they needed to talk with each other and not call him until someone had news on Tim.

Jim cursed himself for letting his brother out of the car to begin the search alone. He felt frustrated by how slowly he was moving, but knew he might want all the equipment he was carrying if… He put that thought out of his mind.

Too weighed down to move quickly he moved through dark streets in an unfamiliar town. He had no fear of the dark. There was a chance that a large, inhuman killer stalked him the darkness. Despite the horror movies that he'd watched that image didn't bother him. The fear he experienced was purely for Tim, and the thought of how he might find him. It was a panic which kept him from thinking clearly as he searched the streets of Rieslingburg.

"I. am. not. certain. I. have. my. eyes. in. straight," Bego said as she checked the mirror.

Drakken cursed under his breath, "Try and get them on better, I don't want a holdup at the border."

"I. do. not. want. to. delay. us. But. I. can. not. fix. them. when. we. are. going. this. fast. What. should. I. do?"

The blue man thought for a minute, "Curl up like you're asleep. Jim and Tim said the crossing is simple. That way you don't have to talk either. But get the eyes fixed if you can."

Exhausted and panting for breath Jim slowed down and tried to think. He needed to stop thinking of the monster as an animal incapable of thought. It paid taxes and had enough sly cunning to set up bogus identities for itself. Tim would never have gone up to the monster's house by himself. He would have wanted someone to have his back. Jim began to move in the direction of the house. He stared at the home, thinking it must somehow look different from the houses around it. Despite the occupant Jim could see nothing unusual about it -- a small old house on a street of small old houses. When they were new England had thirteen colonies on the eastern edge of the New World. The very normalcy of the situation raised the hairs on the back of his neck. If that home could harbor a monster then any home could harbor a monster.

Jim adjusted his communicator and found the secondary band. "I haven't found Tim," he told the others. "I want to check out the house."

"Not without backup, idiot," Wade shouted. "Wait until someone else gets there."

"I don't want to wait."

"Please, Doc. and. I. are. almost. at. the. border. Wait. just. a. little. longer."

"I'll… I'll try and wait. I got to do something. I'm going crazy here not knowing what happened to Tim."

Joss turned her communicator off for a few seconds, "Can you drive any faster?" she asked Wade.

"Not if you want to get there," Wade grunted.

"What?"

"I'm driving as fast as I can on an unfamiliar road at night. We should have brought the hovercraft."

"Sorry I snapped at you. I'm worried about Tim."

"We all are."

Joss stopped talking and let him drive.

Old habits die hard, and police and guards of all sorts made Drakken nervous. He was also anxious to reach the twins, but he managed to stop at the border while Bego feigned sleep.

The crossing guard considered asking the sweating man to open the trunk, but decided to pass. It was obvious he had the usual question on his mind, however, as he examined the passports Drakken showed him.

"It's a rare genetic condition," Drakken lied. "My daughter inherited it."

The guard, afraid of being accused of profiling by skin color, waved them through.

While planning how best to storm the Patchwork Man's home Jim finally used his brain, and felt so stupid he didn't share his revelation with the others, not wanting to admit just how far he was out of his mind with panic. He could use the GPS chip in the communicator to trace Tim. The others must have assumed he was smart enough to remember that, but he felt like a complete fool. Jim hurried back to the car to check the GPS receiver. He expected the device to show a blip in the house he had been standing outside of. Instead it registered a signal a half mile away. Jim frowned, trying to understand his brother's location and silence, started the engine and drove toward the source of the signal.

Jim drove past the building slowly. He could not think of a good reason for Tim to be in a police station. And the possibility that the city morgue might be housed in the building didn't help. He parked in the first place he could find which looked legal and headed back.

The excitement started as soon as Jim pushed open the doors to the police station. There were four uniformed officers in the station, and all four were coming at him a minute after seeing him, talking excitedly among themselves. If he was in America Jim felt certain they'd all pull their guns and point them at him. But he was in Switzerland and he wondered if they'd point their watches at him.

In their haste to surround him they all seemed to have forgotten the fact they were dealing with an American -- which meant he only spoke broken English at best. Or perhaps they simply wanted to immobilize him first and ask questions later. The three men holding him had him pretty well under control when a fourth finally spoke, "How did you break out of gaol?"

"What are you talking about?"

The officer snorted in derision at the young man's question, "Come, Herr Possible. I locked you up myself only an hour ago."

"My brother is here, in jail?"

"Your brother?"

Two officers apparently spoke no English and asked what was going on. There was some animated discussion among the officers, and the man questioning him left the group -- running over to look through a door at the back of the room. He called something to those holding Jim and they reluctantly let him go.

"Your brother, you say," his interrogator asked. "So you are a Possible also?"

Jim nodded, wondering if it translated to 'yes' in Europe.

"Can you show me some identification?"

"Sure," Jim reached for a pocket and two officers tensed.

"Your brother carried an illegal firearm," the man in charge told him.

"Is that why he is in jail?"

"That, and trespassing where he did not belong." He addressed the officer with better English skills so that Jim would know what was happening, "Bring the prisoner out."

Jim, who an hour earlier feared his brother might be dead, laughed with relief when they brought Tim out.

"We obviously should have questioned you more closely," the man in charge told Tim.

"Name, rank, and serial number. That's all I have to give you."

The officer glared

"Sorry," Tim apologized, "I'm so glad to see my brother my brain and mouth sort of lost contact with each other."

Jim pretended to check his watch, turning the communicator back on so the others would know Tim was safe.

The man in charge, meanwhile, had Tim taken back to his cell. "Sit down," he told Jim, pointing to a chair in front of his desk. After Jim sat the officer began, "Why are you and your brother here."

"We came over for the weapons exhibit in Munich." He pulled a card from his pocket. It took little effort for him to sound enthusiastic about Destruction Inc., and he figured that was best explanation he could offer.

The officer listened politely to five minutes of superlatives. "That might explain why you were in München. But you are not in Germany. You are in Switzerland, in my town, and I want to know why."

"The armament convention doesn't start for a couple days. We thought we'd just drive around."

"You will forgive me if I do not believe you. Rieslingburg is not a tourist destination, nor are we on any major road. I can not believe you and your brother came here by accident."

Jim shrugged, "Wish I had a good lie that would make sense. We just wanted to drive and see something real. Something other Americans didn't see." Jim crossed his fingers.

The officer might be buying the story. He called to another policeman, told him something Jim could not understand, and the man disappeared into the back, emerging with Tim a minute later. "Your stories agree," he told the brothers. "I am willing to believe you may be two foolish young men who chose to make us do extra work one night. Let me talk with the others. You two remain where you are."

Leaving the two young men seated apart from each other the police huddled for a discussion in German.

Eventually the man with the best English addressed Tim, "You realize you have broken the law?"

Tim wondered if he should remain silent until talking with a lawyer, but decided cooperation might be the better approach, "Yes," he answered.

"We believe that you two are here for a trade show in Germany. You may stay here in gaol, awaiting trial for trespassing and an illegal firearm. Or you may leave our town and Switzerland tonight. But I would like the other brother to give us permission to see if he also is carrying illegal weapons."

Tim groaned inwardly,_ "We are so dead."_

The news that Tim was safe filled the other team members with relief. Drakken and Bego were almost to Rieslingburg and Wade had slowed down to a speed where he felt safer.

"Sorry I got bossy with ya," Joss apologized.

"No problem, we were all pretty stressed. If you want to make it up to me later I'm sure something can be arranged."

Joss giggled, "After we're back home. An' I promise not to yell at you ever again -- on this trip."

Jim realized there was no good way to refuse, he rose to his feet and spread his arms out, "Sure, pat me down if you feel you need to."

Tim tried to remember what he knew about Swiss prisons. He couldn't remember anything about Swiss prisons, so he remembered the stories he'd heard about Turkish prisons. He found no comfort in the thought.

To Tim's surprise and relief the police found nothing when they patted Jim down. "Very well, get out of town," the man with the best English told them.

"Is there any chance I can get the gun back?" Tim asked.

"Sorry, that will not be possible."

"Look, it has a biometric safety we developed--"

"What is this biometric safety?" the officer demanded.

"It's going to make us rich in the US. We'll probably sell them in Europe too. It 'reads' the identity of the person with a finger on the trigger. If you aren't programmed in to the weapon you can't fire it. We figure to make them so you can program up to ten people into the thing."

"You Americans are crazy with your guns. It sounds like a worthwhile invention, but we will not return your weapon to you. Call your ambassador to Switzerland. We will turn it over to them if they make a request. It will be shipped to you."

"But the show--"

"You can remain in gaol until a trial date is established. Perhaps the judge will look with favor on you if you plead guilty."

The twins knew being run out of town was the best they could hope for -- better than they expected.

"We will leave."

"Excellent. I might ask you to remember, the next time you visit our country, to pay more attention to our laws."

"Yes, Sir. We are sorry," Tim said half-honestly.

"Good, now go. And remember," the policeman warned them. "You have until morning to be gone from town."

"No problem, officer," Jim called back as the two headed out the door.

"I thought for sure you'd be armed," Tim whispered as they headed out into the night.

"You think I'm stupid enough to carry a gun into a Swiss police station?"

"In a word, yes."

Jim shot his brother a look of disgust, "Give me a minute to remember why I was so worried when you were missing."

"Probably for my wonderful personality."

"Nah, I'm sure that wasn't the reason. And you were the one they had locked up - not me."

The quiet bickering continued as they got in the car and drove out a couple miles from town and found a place to park while they waited for the others.

Soon after the twins parked Drakken pulled up behind them, and all four got out of their vehicles.

Bego immediately glomped Tim, "Tell. me. the. whole. story. What. happened? What. was. it. like. to. be. in. jail? What. did. you. find. out?"

Tim laughed and launched into a long story of his night.

Drakken approached Jim cautiously, "How are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Just asking how you are feeling. You don't need to bite my head off."

"Like you care."

"I thought I heard a note of panic in your voice when you couldn't find Tim."

Jim opened his mouth to retort, 'Well, you should know the sound of panic,' but instead the words that came out of his mouth were, "God, I was scared stupid back there. Please don't say anything to Tim…" He paused, and gave Drakken a half smile, "Thanks for asking... You know, sometimes I wonder if my dislike for you is irrational. Do something stupid soon so I can remember why I hate you."

"I'll do my best," the blue man promised. The two leaned up against the twins' rented car, about four feet from each other. They listened to Tim tell the story of his arrest and each avoided talking to the other.

After a few minutes of sharing silence, and with Tim showing no sign of stopping his story to Bego, Jim whispered, "Doc?"

"Yeah?"

"If you say we're bonding I'm going to punch you."

Drakken silently scooted two feet further away from Jim. Jim's burst of laughter forced Tim to stop his narrative for a minute. Jim quickly got control of himself and Tim resumed talking, "And that wasn't even the funny part…"

The conversation eventually turned more general as they waited for Wade and Joss. Joss was out of the car almost before it stopped moving and running over to Tim. "What happened? Give me the whole story."

"I don't think we've got time to hear that again," Jim said. "Jailbird and I were told to be out of Rieslingburg before the sun comes up. It's almost midnight. If we're going back to hunt a monster we need to get moving."

They sketched plans as Jim and Tim related the little they could remember of the house and neighborhood. Wade's car was left at the edge of town and they rode in together in two cars.

The final knell of the churchyard bell marked the dead of the night's high noon as the two cars found the street. Almost no house lights remained on in the neighborhood. Wade's infrared scanner found a single heat signature in the house, but from an individual who was bigger, or warmer, than the average person.

Jim and Tim passed out breathing filters to those who breathed, but Joss declined. "It'd look funny to him if I was wearin' it."

"Funnier. than. standing. by. me. when. the. door. is. opened?"

Wade didn't like the idea at all, but Joss agreed with the twins that a female asking for help had a better chance of getting a response.

The guys hid outside the line-of-sight from the doorway as Joss knocked. Tim felt pretty certain he wouldn't answer if someone knocked on his door at midnight. He hoped the monster was braver than he was. If Tim had the mass of the creature that opened the door and peered out at Joss and Bego he might have felt more confident.

The doorway, designed when average height was several inches shorter, required that the almost seven feet tall homeowner duck whenever he went in or out.

"Kann ich ihnen helfen?"

He had turned a light on when he came to the door, with the light behind him Joss saw nothing more than a huge shape in front of her, "I was wonderin' if you could--"

When he heard her speaking English the huge man tried to shut the door. Bego's eyesight went far beyond human. Wearing the glasses with the filtered lenses the entire creature glowed with the eerie light they'd noted at Ingolstadt, "It's. him!" she called and hit the door with her shoulder as he tried to close it.

The surprises followed quickly. The first two surprises were the creature's, the first when the slim girl slammed into the door. He heard it crack as she forced it open. And the second came when she tackled him with a strength that belied her size and form. Bego got her own shock when he didn't go down under her weight. His own strength was enormous, perhaps a match for her own metal limbs and as the two started to grapple neither was sure who might win on sheer power.

Joss, however, had no intention of letting Bego fight alone. She tackled the creature low, hoping to knock him down.

The same inhuman strength that kept him on his feet despite Bego's attack kept Joss from knocking the Patchwork Man over, but he wrestled one hand free from the metal girl and reached down, grabbing Joss by the back of her clothes. Wade and the twins had moved in when Bego hit the door. They gasped as Flickmann lifted Joss with one hand and tossed her out the door with ease.

Tim tried to catch her. At least her cousin was able to break her fall as they both went down onto the pavement.

Before Joss could get up from the ground Wade grunted with anger and rushed the creature himself.

Jim cursed under his breath. Wade, like Drakken, was supposed to just stay out of the way. But his fear of Joss being hurt made him forget the game plan.

As the huge man continued his struggle with Bego Joss scrambled to her feet. Seeing Wade in harm's way sent her back into the fight. Jim gave his brother a hand up from the ground. "Let's toss in the anesthesia, now!"

They were both feeling a little ticked off with Wade and they let him roll past when the monster tossed him out. Joss was still in the fight and Wade pushed them aside as he returned to the struggle.

The twins saw Wade had lost his breathing filter, but they needed to try and end it as fast as they could before anyone was seriously hurt.

They each rolled a canister spewing colds of white spray into the house. Wade, unused to fighting and breathing heavily from the exertion went down first. Joss went down about fifteen seconds later, but the huge creature continued to struggle with Bego. The twins remembered Drakken telling them the creature wasn't human. They worried what would happen if he didn't respond to the anesthesia and Bego failed to stop him.

Fortunately the anesthesia took him down, even if it hit him more slowly. Bego felt his struggles diminish, eventually his knees went limp and the blue girl lowered him to the floor.

Jim turned the valves off on the gas canisters. It would take several minutes for the gas to dissipate. Tim slipped masks with an antidote on Wade and Joss and motioned for his brother and Bego to go outside for a hurried consultation with Drakken.

"Wade and Joss should recover in fifteen to twenty," Tim told the others. "I'd like us to be out of here before that."

"Why don't you get your car," Jim suggested to Drakken. "You get to take Patchy back to Germany."

"Thank you very much," the blue man responded sarcastically. "Make sure he's tied and gagged well."

"The gas would knock a person out for around six hours," Tim said. "He should be fine."

"I had a lot of plans that should have worked if it weren't for your sister."

"Why. doesn't. Jim. get. his. car. while. Tim. and. I. tidy. up?"

They all looked up and down the street, but didn't see any house lights coming on. They hoped curious neighbors weren't calling the police in the dark, and they wanted to get out fast.

Drakken and Jim pulled up out front, and went inside to find the creature well wrapped in rope. The gas was gone and those who breathed took off their filters.

Before they could move anyone into the car Drakken suggested, "Let's collect some of his clothes to take for him."

Jim stared in amazement, "We're packing a suitcase for him?"

"Well, we could put things in a pillow case," the blue man suggested.

"I mean, we need to get out of town and you're packing clothes for a prisoner?"

"Doctor. Drakken. is. right."

"I always hate waking up in a strange room in only my pajamas," Drakken explained.

"Doc?" Tim requested, "Please don't tell us why you said that."

The twins grumbled, but found some clothing while Drakken helped Bego carry the Patchwork man to his car and cover him, then took Wade and Joss to the backseat of the twin's vehicle.

Joss and Wade were starting to recover as they stopped to pick up Wade's car. The young black man was still in no shape to drive, however, so he rode with Jim while Tim took Wade's keys and drove Joss.

They all hoped the crossing into Germany went as smoothly as the crossing into Switzerland. Tim knew he could withstand a search in Wade's car, but wondered whether Drakken or Jim would be in more trouble if the border police got curious.

They staggered their arrival at the border with Tim arriving first. The fear had been bored guards willing to search to pass the time. It seemed more the case that they didn't want to be disturbed from whatever they were doing.

"I just kind of held up held up the passports and he waved me through," Tim reported to the others.

Drakken had rented several adjoining suites in Zell. They pulled into the parking lot roughly together.

Wade yawned and stretched, "I made a couple phone calls on the way here. I didn't have a number for Dr. Manning so I called Donner and asked him to contact the BPRD. I got a call back, three agents were already in Germany waiting for word of something -- they weren't told what. They should be on their way over from Munich now."

The sleeping creature was brought into the room, the ropes removed, and heavy metal manacles and chains put on in their stead.

Drakken slipped a mask with the antidote to the anesthesia over the monster's mouth and nose and examined the captive.

"What's up, Doc?" Tim called.

"He is amazing," Drakken murmured. "With the technology and knowledge they had available in the eighteenth century? The creator had to have been a genius."

"So that is what genius is good for," Jim butted in to the conversation, "creating a murdering monster?"

Drakken was thinking of a suitable retort when an unfamiliar voice spoke, "Do not be hasty in applying the labels of genius or monster."

The blue man looked down and found the creature's eyes open. He removed the breathing mask.

"You speak English?" Joss asked pointlessly.

"I have visited their nation several times. You sound like Americans. I visited your country once."

Jim was blunt. "The book says you're a murderer… Is that true?"

"Ah, the book which does not allow me peace," the creature answered. He paused, looking for the right words, "It takes certain 'liberties' with the truth, but yes. I have blood on my hands. But murder implies an intend to harm, a capacity to know one's actions are wrong. Can a poor dumb thing who had been taught nothing of right and wrong be guilty of murder if it kills those who love its creator -- the man who brought him forth in pain and abandoned him in ignorance? Murder is wrong, but how could I know that? I lashed out, hurting him by killing those he loved. I knew no better."

"We. saw. a. picture. of. you. with. some. Nazis. Drakken. said. you. were. a… What. was. the. word. you. used, Doc?"

"A capo," Wade answered. "A prisoner used to watch the other prisoners."

"Ach, you would bring that up to discredit me?" the creature asked. "I a monster? I was rounded up with the other racially 'inferior' people and sent to a camp. The Nazis chose some of us, those who looked larger and stronger, and told us we could survive by serving them. When your life is threatened you will do many things to cheat death. Would you have the courage to say no?"

The creature fell silent for a moment, letting those in the room ask themselves that question. Then he continued, "They did it to dehumanize us even further, to justify their labeling us inferior by making us turn on ourselves. I would not play their game. I heard I was to be removed from the position after only a week because I would not beat my fellow prisoners. You have seen my strength. I tore out a large section of fence that night and I and forty other prisoners escaped. Most of us separated, hoping to find our own freedom. Almost a dozen stayed with me. I told them I had a home in Switzerland, and they accompanied me to Rieslingburg. Three still live there, and many descendants."

"So you were saved by Swiss neutrality," Tim murmured.

"Swiss neutrality?" the monster spat. "The bankers who grew fat from the money Jews and others deposited and never came back for? The banks which took the money the Nazis stole from Poles, Czechs, Hungarians, Danes, French, and Russians? The industrialists who traded with the Nazis? The…" He paused, then continued in a tired voice. "No, I am grateful to the Swiss. The Germans needed a neutral country through which they could launder the money they looted from others. The Swiss could not have stood against the German military, so they played the role of banker. Europe didn't need another occupied country. And the Swiss provided refuge for those who reached their land. They saved many lives.  
"We are all cowards in war. We will do what we can in order to survive. How many Germans were really Nazis? There were as many good Germans as Nazis, as many Germans who knew Hitler was wrong. But there are far too many people who are sheep, willing to blindly follow any demagogue who claims the mantle of truth and patriotism as his own. And when a few of the good people begin to disappear, or are found beaten to death, the others fall silent."

"Just as a matter of question," Jim asked, thinking back to an early statement, "are any of the descendants of those you got out of the camp on the police force at Rieslingburg?"

"I believe so, why?"

"Tim got arrested for trespassing outside your home. Then we got the bum's rush out of town."

"Bum's rush?"

Tim interpreted, "They gave us until sun up to get out of town. I guess they didn't want the publicity for their town that an American on trial might have brought."

"The Swiss are good people."

"You. do. not. sound. like. a. monster."

He stared at the blue-skinned girl, wondering what sort of creature she might be. "I do not believe the murders I committed in ignorance make me a monster. I have seen monsters worse than anything I would have imagined possible, who committed their murders on a grand scale. And I have learned that all it takes for such evil to thrive is enough good people to remain silent."

"You don't seem to have a high opinion of humanity," Wade remarked.

"I have watched you for two centuries. I have seen good people and I have seen evil people, and the majority seem to fall between those extremes. You would once have been a slave for the color of your skin. Am I a greater monster than those who allowed that?"

"No," Wade answered. "I don't think you are…"

"Then why am I in chains like a beast now?"

"Some folk we know, the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, wanted to question you--"

"The Bureau?"

"Yes, they said you bolted before you could talk with them and they seemed to think it important to talk with you so--"

"You fool. Have you told them you have captured me?"

"Yes, what's the matter? They're good guys," Wade argued.

"I do not know what they have told you, but they sought me in order to kill me."

"They. want. to. kill. you?"

"Yes, let me go. I must get away!"

The team members looked around at each other, not certain what they should do. The creature's claim made no sense, but his voice reflected his own conviction that the Bureau wanted his death. Before anyone had a chance to speak they heard a heavy knock on the door.


	4. Qualms

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the Kim Possible series are owned by Disney. Registered trade names property of their respective owners.

**Qualms**

"Are you going to answer that?" Wade asked Drakken.

"I guess I'd better. Jim, Tim, will you two provide some backup?"

Wade hesitated a minute as the three other men headed for the front room. "Go out with them," Joss suggested.

Wade wasn't sure whether he should stay or go. He didn't want to leave the two girls alone with the monster, but he listened and reluctantly moved to join Drakken and the twins.

Jim and Tim moved to either side of the room and stayed back as Drakken opened the door.

The red creature filling the doorway was, if anything, less human than the Patchwork Man in the inner room. He wore a long, black duster under which a tail could be concealed and Drakken knew that his large cap hid the stumps of sawn off horns. His face appeared to have been carved by a sculptor with an imperfect knowledge of human anatomy and his grotesque right hand seemed to be composed of some rock-like substance. His face split in a wide grin as he saw Drakken, "Big Blue, should have known they'd call you in."

"You know, for a man who has left the BPRD you always seem to be with them," Drakken remarked.

"Still home to my friends," he said and moved slightly to the side so a pretty woman with haunted eyes and a tall man with greenish complexion and gills visible on his neck could be seen. The red man's good left hand reached into his duster and Jim and Tim reached for weapons. "Just getting the Doc a cigar," he assured them.

Jim and Tim relaxed only slightly as his hand came out with a cigar. Drakken sniffed it appreciatively, "Cuban?"

"Of course. You should buy some before you head home. Liz, light him."

The woman frowned slightly in concentration and a flame appeared in the air in front of Drakken who lit the cigar and drew a deep puff.

"Where's the prisoner?" the red creature demanded.

"We'd like to ask you a few questions before you see him," Wade told them.

"May we at least get out of the hallway?" the gill man asked. "We are somewhat conspicuous."

"Sorry, Abe," Drakken apologized. "Please, come in."

Jim and Tim moved back to the wall opposite the door, trying to maintain enough distance to insure they had time to react.

"You really think you got anything that would stop me?" the demon asked.

"Got some really large caliber armor piercing shells," Jim explained. "We think they might knock chunks off you."

"Recoil must be something fierce."

Tim answered, "We've got a new system for dissipating recoil."

"You'll let me have a look before I leave?"

"Sure, still has some bugs though."

"How about your quest for the perfect exploding shell?"

"Going nowhere," Jim admitted. "They keep blowing up in the barrel instead of waiting until they hit the target."

Wade, standing in front of the door to the inner room, moved to one side as the door hit him in the rear. Bego ran across the room and threw her arms around the red creature. Jim and Tim cursed under their breaths since she blocked a clear shot.

The demon chuckled and mussed her hair, "Little Blue, wondered where you had gone to… What happened to your eyes?"

"Plastic. shells," she explained. "Do. they. do. anything. for. me?"

He knew enough of women to know the right answer, "I think you're cute either way."

"And remember," Liz spoke up, "if you ever need a job I think the Bureau would like to have you."

"Is he carrying a gun?" Drakken asked.

Bego released the hug. "Not. any. more." As she stepped back they could all see a large pistol in her hand.

The red creature laughed, "You can't trust anybody these days."

"You weren't supposed to be packing," Abe complained to the red man.

"Sorry, just feel naked without it." He looked over at the twins, "You boys understand, I'm sure."

"We've got a bit of a moral dilemma. He," Wade jerked his head towards the doorway behind him, where the BPRD agents must realize the Patchwork Man was located, "says you're trying to kill him."

"Damn lie," said the demon.

"You were packing," Jim pointed out.

"So are you. Does that mean you want to kill me?"

"Let's all remain calm," Abe intervened. "You know us enough to doubt that sort of claim."

"We'd like to think so," Tim agreed, "but we really aren't sure what this is all about."

"We had some questions we wanted to ask your 'guest' on a problem he might have information about," Liz explained. "But he bolted before we made contact. That says we've got a leak. While we don't know if Herr Flickmann can help us with our initial problem he can certainly help us with our second problem, the security leak."

"Finding. a. leak. is. that. critical?"

"It might be in this case," Liz told her.

"Jim, Tim, why don't the two of you keep us covered while we question your 'guest'?" Abe suggested

"Hell," the red man grunted, "you know they're going to do that anyway."

"I agree with Abe," the woman said to the red man. "We want everyone to stay calm. We're all friends here and no one wants to hurt anyone. There's nothing wrong with showing we agree with their concerns."

---

The Patchwork Man looked no different from when the twins had left the inner room. He still sat on a heavy chair against the far wall, with the manacles on his wrists and ankles, and sections of chain visible on the floor between his legs and under the hands crossed on lap. Jim and Tim had gone into the inner room first and flanked him.

"We've got you covered," Tim whispered as he took up his position. The man on the chair looked slightly puzzled and Tim realized his words could be taken in different ways tried again, "We're trying to protect you."

The others filed in, leaving the room crowded. "What do you know about—" the red man began.

"Hush," Liz told him. "Stand in the back. You could make anyone nervous." She turned to the large man in the chair. "Wade says you told them we're trying to kill you."

"Wade?"

"That's me," Wade said, raising his hand.

"It's not true," Liz assured the seated creature. "We wanted to ask you a question about a case we are working on. When you bolted--"

"You may have been told your Bureau wanted to question me. I was told the orders from the highest level were to murder me."

In the background the demon growled angrily. Joss spoke up, "These three are pretty dang high in the--"

"'Dang?' Was heißt das?" the Patchwork Man asked.

"She doesn't 'Damn'," Wade translated.

"Well, she should give a damn," the red creature growled, "they don't get much damn higher than us."

"Look," Liz said, "rather than stupid arguing I'll tell you the question which was all we wanted to know. Can you tell us anything about Arctic ghouls? We know you spent years up there and hoped you could help us."

Herr Flickmann thought for a moment, wondering what interest they could have in the ghouls. "They are timid creatures, hiding at the edge of human habitation, waiting for their food. Why do you seek information on them?"

"They ain't so timid any more," the red man explained. "And they ain't always waiting for their food to be buried in the ground. We've got three Lapp villages where only skeletons remain. Every shred of flesh was gnawed off their bones."

"Sami killed?" the Patchwork Man was clearly bewildered. "I can not believe--"

"You can believe what you damn well please," the demon interrupted. "But your Lapp friends, or the Sami, or whatever you want to call them, are being killed and eaten. We want to stop the killing--"

Abe interrupted in a soothing tone. "Someone must have organized the ghouls, provided leadership."

"And you think that I--"

"We don't believe you had anything to do with it. We simply wished to ask you for any information you might be able to give us about the ghouls and their habits."

"I know nothing about current conditions," the Patchwork Man told them. "I've not visited the arctic in decades."

"That might be true," the man with gills agreed. "But even if you can tell us nothing important about the ghouls, we need to know who told you we wanted to talk with you."

"What does it matter who told me?"

"Well," Abe pointed out, "there is a chance whoever told you that might be the person working with the ghouls. We might have a traitor, spy, whatever you want to call him, in our bureau."

Emile Flickmann sighed, "I have no current knowledge of any value on the ghouls. The problem within your bureau is your problem, not mine. I live a life of quiet peace in retirement. I do not wish to be disturbed."

"So you'll let the Lapps die," Abe said in an accusatory tone.

"I am sorry, their ancestors gave me hospitality many years ago. But that was many years ago. I do not wish harm on anyone, but I can and will do nothing."

The red creature made a sound which might have been, "Worthless pacifist."

Bego spoke up, "I. heard. a. wise. man. once. say. that. those. who. remain. silent. as. evil. is. committed. are. accomplices. to. the. crimes."

The creature in the chair closed his eyes as Abe and Liz glanced at each other, wondering what the blue girl's words were all about. The Patchwork Man opened his eyes, "Truly wise men should be careful what they say." He looked at Liz, "That was really all you wished to question me about?"

"It was. We are trying to stop mass murder, and only hoped you might be able to help us."

"I will help you in any way that I can."

Liz smiled, "That will be wonderful." She hesitated for a moment, "Is there a chance you could return to the United States with us to help us identify your contact."

The creature thought a minute, then nodded his head yes.

Wade spoke up, "We should unchain you. I'm sorry about the methods we used."

"There is no need to unchain me." Emile Flickmann stood; the chain which had been on his lap fell to the floor, not connected to the heavy manacles on his wrists. Nor were the manacles on his wrists or ankles locked. He pulled them open and set them down on the chair.

"How did you get out of those?" Jim demanded.

"Joss. and. I. took. off. the. chains. and. unlocked. the. manacles. when. you. left. the. room."

"You unchained a monster when we weren't here?" Jim protested, clearly questioning their sanity. Wade said nothing, but the look Joss saw on his face suggested he harbored similar thoughts.

Joss flushed, "We kidnapped a man who was minding his own business, chained him like an animal, dragged him to his possible death, and he's a monster? Seems like if the word applies to anyone in this room it's probably us."

Even Jim knew to shut up. There was an uncomfortable silence in the room.

Liz finally broke the silence, "We apologize to you for our methods," she told the Patchwork Man. "Our work sometimes calls us to destroy creatures -- but only those which kill the innocent. I want to believe whoever contacted you from the Bureau simply misunderstood the reason for our concern. If that is the case he--"

"Or she," Abe interrupted. "Let's not be sexist."

Everyone in the room smiled at once for the first time. "Or she," Liz continued, "will receive nothing worse than a letter of reprimand in his, or her, file. But if your contact is the person who organized the ghouls… We seek to protect the La--, the Sami. And if the ghouls return to their old ways we have no reason to hunt for them either."

"Sehr gut."

"Team Possible," she continued, indicating the others with a sweep of her hand, "is not part of us. But our director knows their ability and respect for life. I am sorry we felt compelled to question you this way, but our only desire is to save lives." She turned to the two men with her, "Let's get our own rooms for the rest of the night." Looking back to the tall creature, "We would like to leave on a noon flight, may we come back for you at eight?"

"I don't think that's a good--" the red man began.

"Show him some respect," Abe said, "We're lucky he doesn't have us all arrested."

The Patchwork Man actually laughed, a deep laugh, and so infectious several in the room joined in. "That gives me little time to rest, but I shall be ready," he promised. "It appears I have very little to pack." Joss had told him they brought some of his clothing along.

After the three left Wade spoke, "I, ah, guess we owe you a big apology. We should not have taken this job."

Emile Flickman paused before answering. "No, you should not. But I bear you no ill will. You acted from pure hearts and to help others." He turned toward the girls, "And Fräuleins Joss and Bego have reminded me I also carry responsibility." From habit he tried to click his heels, hard to do in bare feet, as he bowed to the two, then kissed the hand of each.

Bego glanced sideways at Joss, suddenly happy she was unable to blush.

"I wish I knew how to curtsey," Joss whispered loudly enough that everyone heard her.

"I. think. we. would. need. to. be. wearing. dresses. for. that."

As the group prepared to leave Tim spoke up, "I also need to apologize."

"Schwamm drüber, er, I think your expression is 'no problem'," the creature responded extending his hand for a shake.

"Me too," Jim admitted as he extended his hand.

"I don't suppose I could bother you for a little blood sample, purely for research purposes?" Drakken began.

"Don't push it, Doc," Wade hissed, "remember what Abe said. He could have us arrested."

"It doesn't hurt to ask," Drakken shot back.

"No samples at this moment," the Patchwork Man smiled. He pitched his voice lower, almost a growl, "But it has been many years since I visited your country. Perhaps when my trip to their Bureau is finished I shall stay for a time. I might visit your city. On a dark night, as you leave your laboratory to go home, a heavy hand shall fall upon your shoulder--"

He stopped. Drakken appeared so nervous he feared the blue man might faint or wet himself.

Wade pulled a card from his wallet. "If you do visit Middleton we would be honored to have you as our guest. Demonstrate we are capable of some good manners."

Herr Flickmann took the card, "Perhaps, but now I must rest."

The twins went out the door. Bego motioned with her hand for the monster to lean over, as if she wished to whisper something in his ear. When he bent over she suddenly kissed him on the cheek, "Thank. you. Meeting. you. has. given. me. hope."

"How is this?" he asked, puzzled.

"For. refusing. to. be. a. monster, despite. what. people. think. of. you."

Unable to find words he remained silent, but Joss noticed a grin on his face.

Even before the closed behind them Drakken's loud whisper came back, "Why did you invite him to visit us?"

The monster's smile broadened. They were Americans, and by all indications insane, but perhaps he would tour their country and even see them again.

Jim and Tim planned to stay in Germany for the weapons show. It would be a good chance to see what was going on and make some contacts. The other four took a late morning flight back to the states.

"I. am. glad. we. are. in. first. class." 'Anna Lipsky' told her 'father'. She turned around and looked to where Joss and Wade sat in the last row of first class seats on the other side. "Should. I. offer. to. switch. seats. with. Wade?"

"Not if you want either of them to ever speak with you again."

She smiled. Bego took pride in how well she had learned to smile. "You. are. right."

"So, what will you do when we get back to Middleton," the blue man asked.

"With. my. cousins. in. Germany. I. will. call. Erin. and. ask. if. she. wants. to. see. a. movie. with. me. The. third. musketeer. is. usually. out. with. Wade. but. it. will. be. nice. to. be. two. musketeers. again. for. an. evening."

"I am sorry," Drakken said, experiencing one of the rare moments when he thought of someone besides himself, and patting her on the hand. "You really are something like a daughter to me. If I can ever help you, let me know."

"Can. I. borrow. the. car. to. go. to. the. movies. dad?" She had a newly acquired state license even if she lacked an international license.

He laughed, "Yes." They each had books in their carry-ons, and spent most of the flight reading and sometimes chatting.

In the last first class row, on the other side of the plane, Wade apologized, "Well, I'm afraid it wasn't much of a honeymoon, was it?"

Joss sighed, "Just bein' with you is fun."

"The next one will be better I promise."

He was shocked by the look she shot him, "I don't wanna hear any more talk like that." The poor genius looked so crestfallen she had to add, "Not for a few more years anyway. I gotta get through college before I do any thinkin' like that."

"I'm through college," he reminded her.

She giggled, "Well, you still need to learn some more patience. Now ask the stewardess for a couple blankets."

While Wade got the blankets she raised the armrest between the seats and when Wade sat down and covered her up she curled up beside him, his arm around her, and she went immediately to sleep.

Wade enjoyed the feel of his arm around her until he too fell asleep. It was hard to be patient when he loved her so much. He felt like he'd been waiting for her all his life and feared she might find someone more worthy of her in college.

Tim went back to the hotel after seeing the other four off and called Zita. "Jim and I are staying in Germany for a couple days, everyone else is on their way home. Any messages for us?"

She swore at him briefly, "I'm not your answering service."

"I know you're not. Any messages?"

"Yeah, Erin is ready to skin both of your worthless hides."

"Ouch."

"I sent her flowers, signed by both of you."

"Thanks, Zee."

"It's coming out of your paychecks."

"Ah, man! You hardly pay us anything."

"And Destruction Inc. doesn't earn anything for the firm. I don't know why Lipsky and Load grubstake you with a lab and equipment in the hope you'll invent something profitable some day. All you do is play around and blow things up."

"Grubsteak? More like grubhamburger. I'm sure we'd be more inventive if they threw a few more shekels our way."

"Finish college or invent something worthwhile, then you can talk with me."

"Yes, boss," he grumbled.

"And what are the eight important words?"

"Keep my credit slips for the expense account?"

"Those are the ones. I'll tell Kim and your parents that you called."

"Thanks Zee."

---The End---


End file.
